"Pensavo la stessa cosa."
Translation:I was thinking the same thing.
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So, this sentence in particular could mean: I thought the same thing, I was thinking the same thing and also I used to think the same thing.....?
I think it does mean all three of them, it could be used in any of those cases.
Libellule: Pensavo can also be translated as "I thought". In fact as I understand it, it may be a more logical way of translating it than "ho pensato" because thinking isn't usually a momentary, isolated event that happens and is over.
'I thought' is one time in the past while 'I was thinking is continuous (more than once) and thus imperfect.
I do believe that as it is imperfect tense that "I used to think" is perfectly acceptable
Tony, I defintely think that's the sense of it, which is more important (to me) than replcating the specific words. It's obvious you understood the sentence and for me that's the goal of one learning another language.
952
"I used to think the same thing". I find that "used to" is a good way to express passato imperfetto.
Whats the difference in meaning between "I was thinking the same thing" vs. "I have thought the same thing" (Imperfetto vs Passato Prossimo)
'cause like, I've been searching my whole life to find my own place
I'm at a loss as to why "I would think the same thing" wouldn't be acceptable?
urboydoms: 'would think' comes across more as a hypothetical, requring the subjunctive in English: "I would think the same thing...if I were the student." for example. "Would" can certainly be used for an habitual action in the past, as in "When I was a kid, I would always think about going to the zoo." But without a clearer context, your suggestion sounds more like the subjunctive use of 'would' than the English past, which is what the italian form 'pensavo' is.
"I thought the same thing" was about the fifth arbitrary rejection in this particular exercise. The worst was "Were you thinking of me?" which for some reason one was supposed to know "you" was plural, which is a very odd assumption. I don't like when someone answers "it depends on the context" because we are given no context. That's why these arbitrary "answers" are so annoying.
"I thought..." should have been accepted & should be reported. As regards "you" plural, I'd have to see the original -- if the exercise was a translation into Italian DL usually accepts tu, voi, or Lei -- assuming the dreaded context isn't clearer. If it's a translation into English, then use of those pronouns or in their absence the verb form should clearly tell you which one to use. That's not arbitrary at all.
Pensavo la stessa cosa. Ma non la penso oggidì perché non sono un idiota.
Is there a big difference between "I thought the same thing" and "I thought of the same thing"? (the last one was not accepted)
I said 'I was thinking of the same thing', did the 'of' not find its place there or is it an error?
Why is "I was thinking of the same thing" wrong when it means exactly the same?
Sagitta145, Captainlag27, and porcupine:
Germanlehrerlsu has already provided a convincing argument above as to the slight difference. In addition, the Italian phrase doesn't contain a word for "of". Your ability to learn a new language will be greatly enhanced if you can set aside your own preferences for the phrasing that you normally use and focus specifically on the grammar and vocabulary presented in the lesson.
I put”I had thought the same thing” marked wrong, but I think they would get my drift.